Sarcoidosis: Multisystemic Disease

Sarcoidosis was first mentioned by J. Hurtchinson in early 1869, and was thought to be a dermatological condition based on a patient he had seen. During that summer, he visted Christiania (now Oslo, Norway), and viewed a compilation of pathological drawings, including one of a healthy, Swedish sailor, a patient of C.W. Boeck. The sailor had skin lesions comparable to those of Hutchinson's original patient. However, unlike Hutchinson's original patient, this one did not suffer from gout.

In Norway, C. Boeck (the nephew of C. W. Boeck) created the term "sarkoid" as the lesions resembled sarcoma, though benign. Shortly preceding his death, he published a considerable study of 24 cases of "benign, miliary lupoids". Out of these cases, some exhibited involvement in the lungs, conjunctiva, bone, lymph nodes, spleen, and nasal mucous membrane. As a result, what was seen as a curious dermatological condition by Hutchinson in London became known as a multisystemic disease in Oslo.

In Sweden, S, Lofgren linked erythema nodosum and bilateral hilar adenopathy as a manifestation of acute sarcroidosis, using tissue biopsy specimens. This link is known as Lofgren's syndrome, and is most common in Scandinavian and Irish women. Its symptoms consist of acute polyarthritis, erytherma nodosum, and hailar adenopathy. Additional …show more content…
These granulomas are most often found in the lungs, lymph nodes, eyes, and skin- though can affect any organ causing serious dysfunction. It can affect children, thought it is most prevalent in individuals 20 to 40 years of age. It occurs across the world in every race, sex and age, being most prevalent in women, African Americans, and ethnic norther Europeans, especially Scandinavians. Extrathoracic manifestations are seen more in African Americans and Puerto Ricans. A genetic predisposition is possible as clusters of the disease is seen in